incarcerate Americans for pot. 90 percent of these (approx.) are for possession.

http://www.alternet.org/rights/47815/

WOW!

IMHO, this is completely insane. Pot is a huge industry, that is underground of course. If you add up the dollars and these numbers, it's clear that a significant number of Americans have smoked, or do smoke this substance on at least a casual basis.

This is non-scientific, but about 30 percent of the people I know smoke it from time to time. 10 percent of the people I know do it often. Over half have done it at one point in their lives.

Contrast this with booze. The numbers across the board are well over 75 percent. Smokes are declining in my circle of friends and that's good.

I know people who use it for pain, in lieu of booze and smokes, recreation (sitting on couch, munching and consuming media!), meditation, etc...

I also know people who have done this for years and have stopped because life demands require it. I myself am one of these. Hey, it was my 20's ok? Going to school while grinding away at some lame production job sucks. A little kick back at the end of the day had few consequenses compared to booze. For me, no brainer.

As soon as work demands got serious, I quit easily. Smoking on the other hand has gotta be one of the most addictive things we can ever do!

I've quit smokes 4 times now, about to try it again. Sheesh, I feel stupid and or weak for that, can't they just ban those things? It's so silly by comparison to the ease with which nearly all people can just control their use of pot. It's just not that big of a deal, all things considered. And I'm always open on this. Convince me it is --I need to know it is to justify this crap.

If making it legal is too much for the majority, can't we at least deal with the criminal aspects of this in a way that does not destroy so many people on a regular basis?

Yeah, ok call me a pot head. It's not accurate as the number of times I've consumed over the last 10 years can be counted on one hand. (But they were completely great experiences with friends, in safe environment --well worth it. Not ashamed at all to say that, given people regularly talking about boozing up. Not just here, but everywhere.)

I remain convinced it's big booze, pharma and tobacco that stand to lose, should acceptance of pot reach any sane point. Sure, a few of us think drugs are immoral, but I'll bet all but a few of us drink coffee, booze, tea, etc...

That's it for this Sunday morning. Just saw the dollars and am shaking my head at what those could be doing for our good and at the people ruined by the futility of it all.

Does pot cause cancer? Here is the alternative to tobacco. Low dose pot cigarettes. Safer and just as addictive! LOL

May have to pickup smoking again! LMAO

Actually they would be nowhere as addictive.

Yep...Ya get tossed in jail next to some rapist,or child molester,because you had a joint in your pocket.

Care to guess who will be released first?

Talk about having your priorities straight.
*rolls eyes*

/leaving this thread before I go on a rant.

Well I have always said it should be legalized so you know my stance on this.

I didn't see that infomercial.

you gotta watch FOX-TV for that one.

I'm with ya on that one KSKD. The stereotype of lazy good-for-nothing stoner is an apt one, but fails to encompass a large portion of the pot-smoking demographic.

I have a Canadian sister who is a school principal up there, and she has been known to partake on occasion. I explained that she would probably be subject to random testing and possibly drummed out of her profession down here, and she had a hard time believing it.

I saw an episode of "Dragnet 1968" the other day that dealt with the subject, and I was impressed by the way they presented the harm-reduction/legalization case in a fairly evenhanded way... right up until the point where they showed the clean-cut young couple who accidentally forgot about their baby in the bathtub (with disasterous results)while high. Of course Old Joe Friday knew all along that it would come to that.

However... if I compare all of the people in my life who have screwed up their lives with pot vs alcohol, booze wins hands-down.

What their not telling you, is how many of these were plea bargined down from a more serious crime, and were sentenced only on the pot issue.

I know of no one doing time for first time simple possession of under an ounce.

Nwokie is right on the money with this one.

If there is a victim involved or property theft/loss involved I say throw the book at em'. But there in lies the dilemma with this and the issue of marajuana. When was the last time there was a victimization or a pot "junkie" going out to still for their next fix? Enough said.

To Nwokie and Radioblogman: give me documentaion of a couple of cases where this would be accurate? As I just don't see it happening to the extent that this costs American tax payers a Billion dollars a year.

As a regular marajuana user for almost 10 years I have had conversations with other smokers and those who don't smoke about how if and when pot would be approached by the feds/states for decrim.

How though do you regulate, control, and tax a plant? Do you license the retailer, register and reward exclusive licenses to the growers of commercial growers? Of course you tax the end user. But how do you tax and regulate private small garden growers ie for private use growers?

I am convinced that once the black market is taken out of marajuana that the taxes would bring the price level right back to where we are at now. Some say that quality and strength of THC levels would go downhill. Is that what happened when the Netherlands regulated and decrimed? No strength and quality went up.

I have to disagree with one point that Missing pointed out. I would be kinda surprised if the alcohol lobby were to be big opponents of decrim as most people that I know that smoke also partake in libations as well. Pharma, textile/plastics, and tabacco lobbys all would object with great deals of money to fight any efforts along with most likely the religous right.

Finally some food for thought. The AMA was ready to endorse the medical properties of cannibis right before Henry Anslinger brought the hammer down and brought about prohibition in this country for a second time in its history.

Cannibis is a wonderful substance that truly needs to be embraced and at the very least tolerated. There is alot of madness and mania in this world today. Unlike the outright lies, fiction, and utter comedy that is Reefer Madness I ask simply one question; Where is the madness in Marajuana exactly?

No, Nwokie is not right on the money, because many of those people who plea-bargained down from a charge of manufacturing or distribution were in fact not the big-time drug dealers that the cops imagined or were intentionally misrepresented as, but rather were simple "consumers" who happened to meet one of *many* criteria that *automatically* gets you a felony distribution charge, without ever having to prove any actual distribution.

For example: one who is a "simple consumer" may purchase a full ounce at a time, so they don't have to engage in the risky transaction very often, because most "reputable retailers"(ie not street dealers) won't deal with "small time" quantities, and for bulk discount. Possession of that ounce *automatically* makes one guilty of felony distribution.

One might also own a scale, so they can verify that they are getting what they paid for and/or monitor one's consumption. Automatic felony distribution charge.

One might "split a bag" with a friend to share costs and get a better price. Automatic felony distribution charge.

One might have two or more separate bags(to keep different varieties seperate or perhaps that's just how he gave it to you). Having more than one bag, regardless of quantity, is an automatic felony distribution charge.

As with so many other things in our legal system, the real "big time" guys usually get away or get off, while the people doing time are massively represented by the poor or unfortunate.

I also don't like or agree with the federal governments tactic of saying that the majority of marajuana consumed in this country is imported from other countries. Simply Bullshit. On the other hand I can understand if its seed stock from seed banks in Vansterdam or Europe. for the life of me I can't however see the appeal that anyone on either side of the Southern border has in importing large quanties of shitty schwag dirt brick weed from Mexico.

Then look at the war on drugs in general especially with the recent events of the Border Patrol agents in prison awaiting trail for shooting the marajuana smuggler. This is hopefully the final nail in the coffin of people realizing that the war on drugs is a huge failure.

Think about how those Billions of dollars could be spent better in the fight against terrorism.

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/whos_in_prison_for_marij/beyond _the_claims.pdf

Heck...just legalize drugs and tax the hell out of them. Then take that tax revenue and hunt down terrorists with it if you can see straight enough to do so!